Roney's

                Driving down a familiar stretch of road a while back we noticed that one of the very last Roy Roger’s restaurants was gone. A once thriving chain, Roy Roger’s (http://www.royrogersrestaurants.com/#/home), named for the famed TV and movie cowboy star, now exists in only eight states. We had proudly blogged about this dying chain (http://turnerbudds-burgerblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/roy-rogers.html) and got emails from all over the country; people telling us how much they had enjoyed this place before it started to disappear.

                Sitting at the site of our lost Roy Roger’s at 474 Roney Ln. just off State Route 32 was the familiar sign with a new name: Roney’s. Though they don’t have a web site they are on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/roneysrestaurant). It’s there that we learned that these are the same people who had been running that Roy Roger’s location since 1969. And they were claiming the same great menu. We had to go and check it out.

Burgers

                First off, Roney’s and Roy Roger’s before it, really is a fast food restaurant. Unlike your typical Wendy’s, McDonald’s or Burger King, though, they don’t start cooking your food until you order it. Yes the pure beef patties are frozen and yes, the fries are your typical restaurant fare, but somehow these burgers are just a little better.

                Maybe it’s the grill that has been turning out fast, quality burgers for over 40 years. Maybe it’s just the atmosphere of the place, still packed with Roy Roger’s memorabilia. Maybe the meat is just a little higher quality. Whatever the reason, these burgers come up hot and juicy and are better than any of those other fast food joints.

                We pondered these ideas on the last Roy Roger’s blog post. And the number of people who sent us emails talking about how much they loved Roy Roger’s all pretty much had the same thing to say: they liked it. And those who no longer lived near one of the few existing restaurants envied us for having one.

                Roney’s isn’t technically a Roy Roger’s but it might as well be. The fried chicken there is the same moist and delicious white and dark meat (so much better than any other takeout chicken joint). The menu and the food is exactly the same. So we may have technically lost our Roy Roger’s but we still have the exact same restaurant to visit and enjoy. If you’re on the east side of town you might want to stop in for a bit of nostalgia.